Whole egg coconut macaroons – the easiest cookie you’ll ever meet

Got an egg, 100g each of desiccated coconut and sugar, and a few minutes (of active time)? Then you can make cookies. Still, it took a little while for me to get around to making these after they jumped out at me from Ferran Adrià’s The Family Meal, because frankly – what’s so exciting about coconut macaroons once you’ve met french macarons, a much prettier and fancier cousin? Well, a lot actually. If you like your cookies crispy/crunchy on the outside, chewy and yielding in the middle, these are for you. If you’re one of those people who tells everyone you “can’t bake” – this is for you to surprise everyone at an upcoming dinner party or potluck. If you want cookie dough in two minutes with 3 ingredients and one bowl, this is for you to whip up while that your mains are cooking and make an impromptu dessert, and, if you’re good and manage not to eat them all, some snacks for tomorrow. If you want an excellent base recipe for a cookie that’ll make your gluten free friends happy too…ta da!

 

As I had a stash of lime zest in the freezer, these turned into coconut-lime macaroons, which in my coconut-lime obsessed brain is the equivalent difference between literal mud cake and chocolate mud cake. So, even if coconut macaroons make you yawn (it’s ok, they don’t get me excited either), think of you favourite coconut-friendly flavours. Like pina coladas? Get your hands on some freeze dried pineapple, and dribble in the tiniest splash of rum. Want to replicate a coconut-caramel flan? Dip these in molten toffee rather than the usual chocolate. Love coconut-mango desserts? Sneak in some sliced dried mangoes. Oh the possibilities…coconut pandan. Coconut vanilla bean. Coconut cinnamon & ginger. Coconut & rose. Coconut pistachio. Coconut cardomom. Coconut matcha. Coconut white chocolate. Coconut & freeze dried lychee, or raspberry…stop me! What are you favourite coconut-friends?

Whole egg coconut macaroons

From Ferran Adrià’s The Family Meal

makes about 12

• 1 large egg
• 100g sugar
• 100g dessicated coconut
• optional: whatever you have on hand that works well with coconut

Preheat oven to 180C with a rack at the topmost position. Line a baking tray with either baking paper, non stick baking sheet or silicone baking sheet.

Whisk egg with a fork. Add sugar & coconut and stir to evenly distribute. Roll small balls (smaller than a walnut) and place close together. These don’t expand outward much. Bake 10-12  minutes on the top rack until golden on top. Cool completely before eating.

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